Georgia special teams coordinator Shane Beamer has been fined $25,000 and reprimanded by the school for an incident that occurred while he coaching was at Virginia Tech, related to the ongoing “WakeyLeaks” scandal.
While an assistant at Virginia Tech in 2014, Beamer spoke to Tommy Elrod, then a football broadcaster at Wake Forest, who passed on “a few plays he said Wake Forest might run” during an upcoming game against the Hokies, according to a statement from Beamer.
Beamer said he did not share the information with “anyone,” nor was it utilized during the game. But he said he made a “serious mistake in judgment” by not notifying officials at Virginia Tech, including his father, Frank, then the head coach, about the call.
“I had known (Elrod) for several years through coaching circles so I did not think it unusual he would be calling me,” Beamer said in his statement. “During these communications, however, he told me about a few plays he said Wake Forest might run during the game on Saturday. I did not share this information with anyone, including our student-athletes, anyone on the coaching staff, or my father, nor did we use the information in the game.”
Wake Forest won the game in question, 6-3, after playing to a 0-0 tie in regulation. Wake Forest finished that season with the nation’s worst-ranked offense, so a low-scoring game wasn’t exactly out of character. Virginia Tech finished that season with the nation’s 19th-ranked defense.
Beamer was associate head coach and running backs coach at Virginia Tech, his alma mater, from 2011-15 before joining Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia. Beamer also serves as UGA’s tight ends coach.
“Last week, Shane informed me of his involvement regarding the 2014 Virginia Tech game against Wake Forest,” Smart said in a statement. “While we do not condone this type of behavior, I appreciate Shane informing me and our administration of his involvement and respect the way in which he is accepting responsibility for his lapse in judgment.”
In the ‘WakeyLeaks’ scandal, which broke last week, Elrod admitted to passing on information about Wake Forest’s offense to coaches at Louisville and several other opponents. The ACC fined Louisville and Wake Forest $25,000, though it wasn’t clear whether that constituted the entirety of the investigation or penalty.
Army is also investigating its program for possibly being approached by Elrod in an attempt to pass on insider information.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity called it disappointing” to learn of Beamer’s involvement, but that he believes the coach “sincerely regrets this mistake in judgment.”
“Conduct of this nature is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia Athletic Association,” McGarity said in a statement. “We will use this as an example to remind our coaches and staff of our high expectations of ethical behavior and sportsmanship.”
